My Favorite Brush Lettering Supplies. A list of my go-to tools for the art of lettering and calligraphy.
My Favorite Brush Lettering Supplies
Brush lettering is so much fun! Learning is a matter of practice. And a lot of it!
These are the supplies I use most often when doing brush lettering and calligraphy, and in case you need a few practice sheets to go with your supplies, check out my selection of freebies below. 😁
Learning Brush Lettering + Calligraphy
The best way to get better at lettering is simply to practice…a lot. Our mantra around here is “Practice makes progress”.
Developing your skills is a lifelong, continual process!
And having the right tools helps a ton too, of course. 😉
Brush Lettering + Calligraphy Tools
Tombow Mono Sand Eraser
This awesome little eraser is made of natural rubber latex and silica grit. Why is it so cool? It can erase inks and some markers too! Pretty handy for a lettering artist.
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Paper Mate Black Pearl Erasers
Not only are they cheap, the eraser dust "balls" so it's easy to clean up and since it's black it doesn't look dirty like pink erasers.
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Palomino Blackwing Pencils
Swoon-worthy pencils with replaceable erasers. My box has lasted me over a year and I draw and letter daily!
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Helix Plastic T-Square
I use this for nearly every drawing/lettering piece I do. It's perfect for drawing guidelines to keep your lettering straight.
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Canson Artist Series Marker Pad
This paper is so silky smooth and gentle on your brush tips!
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Rhodia Dot Pad
If like me, you can't keep your lettering straight on your own, this is the pad for you as the inside has a dot grid perfect for anyone wanting a subtle grid. Dots are pale violet with 5mm intervals.
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Strathmore 500 Series Visual Mixed Media Journal
This is my go to pad for most artwork and lettering. If you're a lefty like me, you might find the 11x14 size easier to work in since your writing hand is on the same side as the spirals.
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Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens
If you're just starting out, these are THE pens to start with hands-down.
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Tombow Dual Tip Brush Pens
These. are. amazing. Their flexible nylon fiber brush tip creates medium or bold strokes by changing brush pressure (light pressure for upstrokes, heavy for downstrokes).
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Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brushes
The Pentel Arts Aquash water brush can be filled with water to blend, or you can add your favorite ink or dye to make your own portable brush. My favorite is the fine tip.
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Royal Talens Ecoline Liquid Watercolor Brush Pens
These are essentially watercolors in brush pen form and I use them alll the time!
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Happy Lettering!
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Brenda Anderson says
April 4, 2016 at 5:58 pmWow I never knew word design could be so popular. I have been using word design since I was a teenager. It did not seem so popular in my neck of the words so I have done it at a bare minimum.
I just may take your classes to see if I can dredge up old memories and get the creative juices to flowing.
Thanks.
Brenda
Monique says
January 1, 2017 at 5:09 pmHello!!
I just found your blog and I love it. I am having a problem figuring out how to store my pens and markers. I don’t always use them all every day and I am finding that some of them are leaking out the tip and some are drying out. I am wondering if it’s how I am keeping them. How do you keep yours?
Thank you,
MoniQ
Dawn Nicole says
January 2, 2017 at 4:16 amHi MoniQ! I store most of mine horizontally in what’s actually a wooden show organizer. I usually visit the marker brand’s website’s FAQs section. They usually have a storage recommendation there. Some require horizontal storage, but not all! (Tombow’s do not require it for example, you can store them either way). Hope this helps!
Monique says
February 16, 2017 at 6:13 pmThank you so much!! That helps a lot!!
Patty Max says
September 16, 2017 at 9:19 amWhat is the difference between the Tombow Fudensueke hard & soft pens. Which should I use for practice sheets?
Dawn Nicole says
September 18, 2017 at 5:48 amWhether you use hard or soft tip is entirely personal preference so I always recommend people order the pack of both and see which they prefer. I use both regularly. The soft tip is simply more flexible than the hard tip (which is still flexible but in a more rigid way). I hope that makes sense!